BYLC Youth Leadership Bootcamp launches in Srimangal

Published at 12:05 pm December 9th, 2015

Youth Leadership Bootcamp 2015, a national residential leadership development programme of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), will begin on December 11, 2015. The four-day long programme will be held at the Bangladesh Tea Resort in Srimangal, Sylhet. 102 university students were competitively selected for the programme from over 1,000 applicants from various institutions across seven divisions of Bangladesh.

The sessions of the Bootcamp are designed to equip participants with leadership skills and prepare themselves for their career. The programme is divided over four days with each day focusing on a different learning outcome. The learning experiences include understanding the framework of adaptive leadership, field visits to leading institutions to gain first-hand experience, career development workshops, and reflection on life goals and career aspirations.

At a pre-event press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on December 8, Ejaj Ahmad, founder and president of BYLC, said, “The education system in Bangladesh is not adequately addressing the needs of the 21st century job market. Keeping this in mind, the Bootcamp will enable the participants to develop their leadership, problem solving, and team work skills to gain practical knowledge about the workplace.”

“In a country where more than 50% of the population is below the age of 25, it is absolutely essential that we invest in preparing our youth to lead in various capacities. The Bootcamp is a unique and timely initiative that will serve this purpose and add tremendous value to the young generation,” added Munir Hasan, youth coordinator of Prothom Alo.

Calvin Hayes, cultural affairs officer at the US Embassy, also present at the press conference asserted, “Leadership is not inherent, it needs to be nurtured and practiced. The youth of Bangladesh needs to come forward to practice active leadership in order to address urgent social problems.”

The programme is being supported by the US Embassy and Chevron as gold sponsors and Paragon Group and Prothom Alo as silver sponsors. The Summit Group, BRAC and the District Commissioner’s Office of Sylhet are the industry partners for the event. The programme will end on December 14, 2015 with a gala dinner where participants will have the opportunity to network with leading entrepreneurs and professionals.